1. Project (general)
2. Safety
3. Technology
4. Invitation to tender
5. Permits

What does the PALLAS project involve?
The PALLAS project involves the construction and operation of a new state-of-the-art high flux reactor, called PALLAS, that is suitable for isotope production and nuclear technological research.

Who ‘owns’ the project?
The PALLAS project was initiated by the Nuclear Research & consultancy Group (NRG; www.nrg.eu), a subsidiary of the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) in Petten. NRG operates the existing research reactor, the HFR (which has been in operation since 1961), is active in the field of nuclear consultancy and is involved in the provision of irradiation services for the production of medical and industrial isotopes and nuclear technological research.

What will PALLAS cost?
PALLAS will cost an estimated half a billion euros to design and build the new reactor. The construction costs will also be partly determined by the requirements stipulated by the licensing authority. Nuclear legislation and regulations are currently being amended in the Netherlands, so it’s not yet completely certain which exact specifications PALLAS will have to meet.

Who will pay for PALLAS?
During the life span of the reactor, the financing costs will be covered in full by the operating revenue (revenue from irradiation products and research). The objective is for participants and investors, including the government, to invest both equity capital and borrowed capital in the project.

Is Zeeland (Borssele) still a possible option as a location for PALLAS, or is it definitely going to be located in Petten?
PALLAS will be located in Petten

What kind of social and economic impact will PALLAS have on the region? PALLAS will generate high-quality employment, including around 500 jobs directly linked to the research reactor and around double that amount in indirect employment for the regional working population. Particularly during the construction of the reactor (2015-2019) local small and medium-sized enterprises (such as building contractors, construction companies, suppliers and the hospitality industry) will be provided with plenty of interesting opportunities.

What does the realisation of PALLAS mean for the Netherlands in terms of business?
With PALLAS, the Netherlands can expand its position as one of the world’s main producers of medical isotopes. Assuring security of supply in this sector is of vital importance to society, both for the Netherlands and for Europe. Furthermore, PALLAS will enable the Netherlands to conduct pioneering research into ‘new’ radioisotopes and new treatment methods. Lastly, it is vital that we maintain a high-quality nuclear knowledge infrastructure so that we can continue to look for solutions to the energy problem: how do we keep our energy supply affordable, reliable and clean? Nuclear technological research is urgently needed to resolve this very relevant issue. (Also see the question: Which activities will take place in the PALLAS reactor?)

Who do I contact if I want to work at PALLAS?
You may contact NRG’s HR department by sending an e-mail to effing@nrg.eu

What is the ‘mission’ of PALLAS?
PALLAS will make it possible for NRG to become the global market leader in the development and production of medical isotopes and will increase the world’s knowledge and supply of sustainable nuclear technology.

The project’s activities are:

-          To determine the technical specifications for PALLAS;

-          To put PALLAS out to tender, including the associated infrastructure;

-          To apply for and obtain the necessary licences and permits;

-          To supervise the realisation of PALLAS and its handover in a fully operational state.

Which activities will take place in the PALLAS reactor?
Both commercial and scientific irradiation will be performed in the reactor. Commercial irradiation includes the production of medical isotopes, industrial isotopes and Neutron Transmutation Doped Silicon (NTD silicon – this is a semiconducting material used in high-power electronics, such as electric motors for hybrid and electric cars). Scientific irradiation comprises testing new fuels, recycling nuclear residues and conducting tests related to nuclear fusion. The PALLAS project’s long-term emphasis will be on commercial irradiation for the production of medical isotopes.

Why must the HFR be replaced?
Old research reactors (>40 years) such as the HFR require regular maintenance and are therefore not always available for use. Since the end of 2007 and especially since February 2010, serious shortages of medical isotopes have hit the world market. This is because the two main ‘isotope reactors’ out of a group of five – the HFR in the Netherlands and the NRU in Canada (which is responsible for 70% of the global Mo-99 production and is also ageing) – were being repaired at the same time. This meant that nuclear medicine in the Netherlands, in Europe and all around the globe had to contend with serious shortages. The hope is that the new reactor will minimise the risk of such a shortage in the future. Security of supply is a core concept.

When will the HFR be replaced by PALLAS?
The aim is for PALLAS to seamlessly take over production from the HFR as soon as it is operational. According to current estimates and plans, PALLAS can start operating sometime in 2019 and will be fully operational by 2022.

How long will PALLAS remain in operation?
The ‘operational life span’ of PALLAS is at least 40 years.

How will PALLAS be dismantled?
Concern for dismantlement is one of the explicit requirements in the Dutch Nuclear Energy Act. This means that PALLAS must demonstrate that the future dismantlement of the nuclear reactor has been meticulously arranged both technically and financially before the reactor may be put into operation.  

How much will it cost to dismantle PALLAS?
The cost will only become clear after concrete proposals have been made in response to the invitation to tender. The estimated cost is likely to be between 50 and 100 million euros.

How can I keep up to date with the PALLAS project?
The PALLAS website contains up-to-date information about the project’s status. For even more information, you can subscribe to the PALLAS News Update: http://www.pallasreactor.eu/nl/home/nieuws/aanmelden/. If you have any questions, you may e-mail them to info@pallasreactor.eu

How do I know that PALLAS will be a safe reactor?
First and foremost, the PALLAS project team wants to build a safe reactor. In addition, a comprehensive set of laws, decrees, regulations and guidelines will guarantee that when PALLAS is put into operation it will meet the very latest technical and safety requirements. Compliance will be monitored by the Dutch government. Many of these measures are laid down in the Nuclear Energy Act permit. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation will coordinate the issue of permits. (For more information on this subject, please see ‘Permits’.)

The peak capacity of PALLAS (80MW) is higher than that of the HFR (45MW); what does this mean for the safety regime in the region?
For the moment, the project is subject to the current safety regime as specified on the website of the Municipality of Zijpe www.zijpe.nl (under the header ‘public order and safety’ – ‘disasters’ – there is the document ‘Disaster Emergency Plan - research and business location Petten’). As soon as the regional permit procedure (WABO) for PALLAS begins, it is expected that the licensing authority will update the requirements. The Municipality of Zijpe will be responsible for this.

Is PALLAS equipped to deal with an event such as occurred in Japan in March 2011?
The design of PALLAS will take a wide range of natural and non-natural effects into account, based on a wide array of international guidelines (mainly from the IAEA). These guidelines are the result of experience gained in practical situations. The situation in Japan will also shape the way these international guidelines develop and will, of course, have an effect on the safety requirements stipulated by the Dutch government for PALLAS. As time goes by, it will become clear whether and how the Japanese situation is translated into stricter regulations. At present, the PALLAS project team is keeping close track of developments in Japan so that, where necessary, it can integrate the ‘lessons learned’ into the PALLAS design.

In which way is PALLAS different from the reactors in the Fukushima I complex?
PALLAS is a completely different type of reactor than the six boiling water reactors (BWRs) in the Japanese complex (also see the question ‘What type of reactor is PALLAS?’). At peak production, the Fukushima I complex generated a total of 14,197 MW of heat, as opposed to the 30-80 MW that PALLAS will generate in the future, a difference of a factor of more than 150. The Fukushima plant also produced temperatures of 285 degrees Celsius with 70 atmospheres of pressure. Compare this with PALLAS, where the temperature will be closer to around 40 degrees Celsius and the pressure will be just a few atmospheres.

What type of reactor is PALLAS?
PALLAS is a high flux reactor. This name is derived from the process that takes place in the reactor core, based on a high density (flux) of neutrons. This is in contrast to the primary process in a nuclear power station, where the process mainly focuses on heat production to generate electricity.

The main technical specifications of PALLAS are:

-          Tank-in-pool type

-          Thermal capacity of 30 to 80 megawatts (MW)

-          Available for over 300 full power days per year

There is an alternative way of producing medical isotopes, namely using a particle accelerator. Does this not make PALLAS redundant?
Both technologies are urgently necessary so that the growing demand for a variety of medical isotopes can be met in the future. For details, download the document ‘New nuclear reactor indispensible for health care’.

Is it possible that in the long term PALLAS will start using thorium instead of uranium as a ‘cleaner’ nuclear fuel?
The feasibility of thorium as a fuel for nuclear power stations has been studied globally for decades. According to reports, substantial progress is being made (particularly in Asian countries) in specially equipped nuclear power plants. These fuel experiments are particularly aimed at heat production for electricity generation. According to prevailing scientific knowledge, the characteristics of thorium are less suitable for neutron production. At the same time, it is also quite possible that experiments with thorium will be carried out in PALLAS in the future. The HFR will also be utilised for this purpose in the context of research into more efficient fuel cycles.

When does the tender procedure start?
The tender procedure will start after the financing has been arranged for PALLAS.

As a market party, who can I contact to find out about the delivery goods, engineering or services?
You may contact Tjalling Jongma, Procurement Manager (jongma@nrg.eu) by e-mail or by post, PALLAS at PO Box 5, 1755 ZG Petten.

Where can I find more information about the tender procedure for PALLAS?
In the run-up to the project, interested parties will be kept informed simultaneously by means of informal market consultation. This procedure, which will be announced publicly (through www.pallasreactor.eu, amongst other outlets), will be initiated as soon as the financing has been arranged.

Is it true that there has already been a tender procedure, and if so, what happened?
In June 2008, NRG initiated a tender procedure for PALLAS, from which three parties were selected: INVAP (Argentina), KAERI (South Korea) and AREVA (Germany/France). They formed consortiums with ISOLUX, BAM and Ballast-Nedam, respectively, for the civil engineering component of the activities. Of these three parties, INVAP submitted the most economically advantageous proposal. However, this procedure was halted in early 2010 due to a lack of financing. The new invitation to tender is completely separate from the previous one.

Which permits are required to build/operate PALLAS?
The most important permits that PALLAS requires are: the Dutch Nuclear Energy Act permit (one particularly important element when applying for this permit is the Environmental Impact Report) for building and operating PALLAS, the water permit for all direct water discharges and the environmental permit for the activities linked to the location, such as construction, installation and use. For more details about the PALLAS permits, please go to: http://www.rijksoverheid.nl (search for ‘PALLAS’).

When will the application for PALLAS permits be submitted?
The Environmental Impact Report will be compiled in the short term. The aim of this report is to protect the environment while PALLAS is being constructed and operated. The government has specified the guidelines to be followed for the Environmental Impact Report. The application for the permits can be submitted only after a building contractor has been selected (see ‘Invitation to tender’) and a reactor design has been created. The exact moment at which the permit applications will be submitted is not yet known, because it depends on the progress of the project (particularly the financing and the tender procedure). According to an initial estimate, this will most likely be in 2013.

At which point in the permit process can I express my opinion?
The moment PALLAS applies for the necessary permits, this will be publicised in the newspapers, on the website, etc. At the same time, it will be announced when people can make their views known and when it will be possible to object and/or appeal.